Anna Khedeliana lost her husband Giorgi Enukidze in 2001 whilst he was working for a company harvesting seeds in Tlugi. He climbed up a tall tree which had previously been trimmed at the top in order to make the harvesting easier. When he reached the weakened top it was not able to hold him and both he and the top plummeted to the ground. Giorgi Enukidze was 49 years old and left a wife and three children behind when he died. Since the family had no insurance they were placed in a grave predicament by the death of the husband and father. The state pays only a small annuity as long as the children are under eighteen.

The Georgian seed company paid for the funeral...

Anna continues to collect seeds for the same company and is still without safety equipment. Her own son has collected 1 ton of cones so far this year.

Levan Kobakhidze only lived to sixteen years of age. His school was closed due to the civil war, and wanting to help his family in Tbilisi, he began working with some friends in the forest. In 1993 while harvesting cones in Tlugi, he fell from a great height when attempting to jump from one tree to another. There was no compensation or insurance. The family barely managed to pay for the funeral, and were unable to give him a proper burial lot.

After his son’s death, the father subsequently suffered depression and committed suicide a few years later. He left behind his wife Leila Kobakhidze and his twin daughters, Tea and Teona.

In 1994 Gaga Namgaladze attempted to jump from one tree to another. Upon landing in a tree, the top snapped and Gaga Namgaladze plunged to the ground and died. He was 26 years old. Gaga Namgaladze left behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter. There was insurance nor compensation from the state. Together with the rest of his relatives, Gaga’s brother Rati Namgaladze had to help the unfortunate family.